Glass Figurines: A Collection of Tales
by Mokona-Midoki
Summary: A continuation of Tokyo Has Enough Weird Shops As It Is...A set of tales of the Dimension Witch, her hapless part timer, and a certain mysterious Chinese petshop owner. Tale 1: Descant. Tale 2: Drown
1. Descant: Opening

Glass Figurines: A Collection of Tales

By: Mokona-Midoki

"Humans can be so very fragile. Like glass they fall and break and then the others step on the pieces and get cut."

Descant: Part One

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors does not belong to me. Xxxholic does not belong to me. Sad day I know. HOWEVER Laurence, Louise, and the Takada family are all mine! Please don't touch them without permission._

Kimihiro Watanuki was not one to believe in horoscopes. Not the ones in the paper anyway. They were usually either totally random, or totally fake. The one time he had actually had a real fortune telling done it had been done by a colleague of his boss who, if nothing else, could be counted on to know the workings of the supernatural.

And so when Watanuki read that morning in the paper that Aries were going to have a wonderful week he, assumed the worst.

He wasn't that far off.

--

"It's a beautiful night is it not?" Count D stood on the roof of Neo Chinatown, the building which housed his Tokyo shop. "Do you not think so, Pon-chan?"

The small raccoon smiled as she looked out over the city of Tokyo, then up to the moonlit night sky. There was not a single cloud covering the dark sky, and the full moon seemed to be larger than usual in the sky. "Yes it certainly is Count!"

"Now on to other matters, do you see Laurence?"

"No, not yet."

The count pursed his lips. "He should be back by now. I wonder what's keeping him…"

There was suddenly the soft rustling of feathers and both the Count and Pon turned to see a boy land gracefully on the ground behind them.

He was not particularly large in stature, but not small either. Still, when compared to many of the animals in the Count's shop He looked incredibly plain. He had shorter brown hair that was tipped in black with darker streaks running through it, and large black eyes. He wore a simple outfit of brown and white, and two large brown and black wings stretched out from his back in order to steady him as he stood.

"Ah, there you are Laurence." The Count smiled.

The boy, Laurence, looked up and smiled shyly at the man who had rescued him. "Hello Count D. I'm sorry I'm late." His voice was like a song, lilting and soft.

"That's quite alright. Did it take a little longer than expected tonight?"

"Yes. He seems to be getting worse."

The Count frowned slightly. "I see."

"Louise stayed behind to watch over him."

"Good."

Pon, forgotten about until now, went forward to the boy and threw her arms around his slender waist. "I've missed you Laurence!"

He laughed and patted her blonde hair. "I missed you too, Pon."

"How's Louise?"

"She's doing well."

"As much as I'd love to discuss this, the night is passing by, and we have things to do." Count D interrupted them.

They looked up and nodded.

"Let's go then."

He turned and went to the door, his robes billowing softly behind him, the raccoon and nightingale following after.

--

Louise watched the young boy sleep as she perched on the chair that accompanied the desk behind her. Like her counterpart, Laurence, Louise wasn't the most extravagant looking creature. Soft gray hair fell around her face and down her back, and she had bright sharp light brown eyes. Her clothes were brownish-gray edged in white and made more for comfort than anything else. Despite her appearance though, she was bright, sharp-witted, and a quick thinker. And right now, she was very worried about the boy who lay in front of her.

A few weeks ago, a woman had wandered into D's pet shop looking for a pet which could help her son sleep at night. The young boy seemed to be suffering from nightmares that came and went even with medicine. Count D had quickly appraised the situation, and sold Laurence and Louise to the young mother.

The two had become accustomed to life with the small Takada family which consisted of the wife, Yuriko, the husband, Hiroyoshi, and the young son, Takashi. They had quickly gained great affection for the three humans who treated them like members of the family, especially for little Takashi who had become quite attached the them. And they had immediately gone about helping the child sleep. It had worked quite well the first two weeks, but the nightmares seemed to be getting worse. And so, Laurence had gone to Count D for help.

Suddenly the child in front of her moaned in his sleep tearing Louise out of her reverie. Standing quickly, she made her way over the bed, and took his hand in hers. She absently brushed his bangs out of his face with her other hand.

She opened her mouth and began to sing.

The song seemed to weave itself around the boy, rising and falling in a beautiful melody until his face relaxed once more, and his hand went limp in hers.

Waiting for a few moments to make sure there wasn't going to be an immediate relapse, Louise sighed. It had happened again.

The mockingbird once again took her previous perch on the chair, watching her young charge with bright eyes.

--

"We aren't quite sure what is wrong, so we came to you for advice." Laurence finished his tale.

"I see." The Count set down his teacup and leaned back, thinking.

"If it were just regular nightmares, Louise and I could take care of them without a problem."

"Then you believe it's something more? The boy could just have a disturbed mind."

Laurence nodded. "We took that into consideration as well, but we think it might be something more along the lines of the supernatural."

"Have you spoken to the parents about this possibility?"

"No, we thought it best to speak to you first. We are unsure of how the would take the news, and they are both in quite a fragile state as it is. We want to spare them any further harm if possible."

The Count's eyes softened as he looked over his young charge. "Then you are happy with them?"

Laurence smiled softly. "Very."

"Well on to business then! This branch of the supernatural is not exactly my expertise, but I know someone who will be able to help. You should be able to find her home without too much trouble." He produced a piece of paper and a brush from somewhere and wrote a short note. "Give this to her. It will explain who you are."

"And, uh, how will I know I'm at the correct house?" Laurence asked nervously."

Count D smiled. "Just look for a butterfly and a house surrounded by wards. You can't miss it."

"Right then. I'd best be getting back. Louise will be expecting me. Thank you Count."

"Do come back and visit Laurence. We all miss you and Louise."

"Of course Count! You all are our family after all." He paused. "I, want to thank you again. We are very worried about this matter, and we didn't know who else to go to so…thank you." With that, the nightingale exited through the door, and out into the night.

--

_Hello everybody and welcome to Glass Figurines! This is a continuation of a previous fic, Tokyo Has Enough Weird Shops As It Is… It will be a collection of oneshots or 2-3 chapter fics. Thank you for reading._

_Footnotes: Yes, yes, I know. There wasn't a whole lot of our xxxHolic gang, but they'll be here, I promise!_

_Descant: A descant is a high melody that is played or sung over the basic melody in a song._

_Nightingale and Mockingbird-Both are songbirds who are widely recognized as having two of the largest 'vocabularies' when it comes to singing. The mockingbird is especially skilled at mimicking any sound it hears from dog's barking to a song (It's also the state bird of Tennessee. Yay TN!) Nightingale's are usually considered to have the most beautiful songs._

_Laurence: Laurence is a nightingale who was rescued from a currently unknown situation by Count D. He is soft-spoken and kind. He was originally supposed to be a girl named Florence after Florence Nightingale, but after learning that only male nightingale's sing, I switched him around, and renamed him Laurence._

_Louise: Louise is a mockingbird from the southern U.S. She is quick-witted, and excitable. She is named after the character Scout from the book _To Kill a Mockingbird_. __Scout's full name is Jean Louise. I haven't found anything that says only male mockingbirds sing, so Louise is a girl. She was created after Laurence became a boy, and was originally not going to be in the story._


	2. Descant: Second

Glass Figurines: A Collection of Tales

By: Mokona-Midoki

"Humans can be so very fragile. Like glass they fall and break and then the others step on the pieces and get cut."

Descant: Part Two

_Author's Note: This is the revised edition of chapter two. Chapter three will be up shortly. I apologize for the delay. I have no excuse._

_Disclaimer: Let me check…Nope! Neither xxxHolic or Petshop of Horrors belong to me. I'd be very rich and famous if they did. Louise the mockingbird who sings classical music, Laurence the sweet nightingale, and the Takada family are all mine though!_

_A huge thank you to all my reviewers! Once again I apologize for not getting around to writing on this fic. Please continue to read it once I get it posted._

_An interesting fact I did discover was that mockingbirds are also called 'the American Nightingale'._

If Watanuki was paranoid, he would swear that the bird was following him. It had been there when he had left for school, and he had seen it again outside the classroom window. Now for the third time he saw the nondescript brownish-gray bird perched on the tree that hung over the school wall. He glared at it.

"What do you want?!" He asked angrily, realizing that people would probably start staring at him for it.

The bird cocked its head to one side, as if considering answering the question, then whistled something that sounded strangely enough like the opening notes to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonota.

He glared at it.

The bird cocked it's head to the other side and switched to Mozart's Papageno.

"What are you doing, Watanuki?" A sudden voice interrupted his stare down with the bird.

He spun around quickly to come face-to-face with the object of his affections. "Himawari! I, uh, I didn't see you there!"

The girl smiled cheerfully at him, making his heart thump rather loudly in his chest. "That's okay. So why were you talking to the bird, Watanuki?"

He looked from Himawari to the small bird which he would have sworn had a smug smile on its face, if birds could smile. "Oh, I wasn't talking to it. It's uh, it's been following me…" He trailed off realizing how lame he sounded.

She looked a bit puzzled. "Following you?"

"Well this is the third time I saw it today and I swear it's the same bird."

Himawari now looked at the bird closely. "Oh! Isn't that a mockingbird?" She asked.

The bird chirped and ruffled its feathers as if to affirm Himawari's question.

"That certainly looks like one, but it's strange…"

Watanuki looked at her. "What's strange?"

"Well mockingbirds aren't native to this part of the world. I know that there are a lot of them in North America, but I don't think any of them live over here." Himawari explained.

"I see. Maybe it's someone's pet?"

"Maybe so."

The mockingbird, tired of not being part of the conversation suddenly twittered something in its own language. Watanuki glared at it, a bit peeved at ruining his and Himawari's conversation.

Suddenly Himawari gasped and looked down at her watch. "Oh no!" She cried.

"What's wrong?"

"I promised my mom I would get home right after school! She needed my help with something!" She looked around. "I'm going to be late. Sorry about this Watanuki! I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved and then ran off.

Watanuki lifted his hand in a half wave then dropped it back to his side only when she had gone out of sight. He sighed. "I'd better get going. Yuko's waiting."

The mockingbird chirped its agreement.

--

Yuko Ichihara, Dimension Witch, lay languidly across her couch smoking her long silver pipe. It was a quiet day, the kind of day that usually preceded something happening. She wasn't exactly in the mood for it at the moment. But still, if nothing else, Yuko was a woman of business. If someone came to her store, she would grant their wish to the best of her ability.

"Maru, Moro, come here."

The paper screen door slid open and two heads, one pink and one blue, poked around either side of the door. "Yes Mistress?" The two girls chorused.

She slid around so that she was sitting up and took a long pull on her pipe. Smoke wreathed around her face. "I believe somebody is coming today. Please inform Watanuki when he gets here."

Identical grins spread across their faces. "Of course! Do you need help?"

"No thank you." Yuko stood and made her way over to the door that led to her personal chambers. Before she entered them she paused and turned back. "Oh and make sure he gets some tea ready."

"Yes Mistress!"

--

As the boy entered the warded gate within which lay an odd house that looked like it didn't belong two skyscrapers, Louise landed on the branch of a tree and watched.

Laurence had reported the advice given to them by Count D, and Louise had offered to visit this acquaintance of the Counts.

Instead of finding a house marked by a butterfly, she had found a boy. Having no other leads, and no where else to look, she had followed him, and sure enough he had led her right to where she wanted to go.

Now she sat, contemplating her next course of action. It was obvious what she had to do, but there was something about the house that didn't sit well with her. Still, she argued with herself, most people found the Count a strange and unnatural but she knew for a fact that he was a kind man. Well to animals at least…

Then unbidden, a memory from earlier that morning came to mind.

_She had been about to leave when Takashi grabbed her sleeve. "Louise? Where are you going?"_

_She smiled and stroked his hair. "I'm going to go get something that will help the bad dreams go away."_

_His face was confused. "But you will come back, right?"_

_"Of course."_

_He grinned._

_Five minutes later he stood at the window with Laurence._

_"Buh-bye Louise! Come back soon!"_

Louise took a breath, steeling herself. No matter what it took, this was her duty to the Count, to the Takadas, to Laurence, and to herself. She flew off the branch and towards the house.

--

"What do you mean somebody's coming today?" Watanuki asked Maru and Moro as he tied an apron around his waist.

They giggled. "That's what Mistress said!" They told him.

"She also said," Moro began.

"That you need," Maru continued.

"To make tea!" They finished together.

Watanuki looked at them in incredulity. "Tea? Are you sure she said tea?" Although Yuko did like tea, she usually preferred any form of alcohol over it.

They nodded.

He sighed. "Well, alright then. Tea it is."

"Kyah! Watanuki!" A small black ball of fur suddenly landed on his head.

"Mokona get off me!" Watanuki swiped his hand at the small creature.

Mokona simply laughed and slipped down to sit on his shoulder.

It was then that the door slid open and his boss came out. "There you are Watanuki."

He looked up and did a double take. Yuko, who usually wore elaborate costumes anyway, was dressed in the black dress that he had only seen once when the four travelers from other worlds had visited the shop. "What's going on Yuko? Is somebody that important coming?"

She gave him a mysterious smile. "Perhaps. I do have a feeling that they were sent here by an old acquaintance of mine."

"So then you're…"

"Keeping up appearances." She supplied. "Anyway if I am correct, and I always am, then I at least need dress appropriately for my customer."

"Yeah! Customers!" Mokona cheered still perched on Watanuki's shoulder.

And with that she strode down the hall towards the front door of her house, Watanuki, Maru, and Moro trailing behind her.

As she reached the front door, she slid it open and stepped out, a small smile gracing her lips. "Here they come."

Watanuki looked around but was unable to see anybody walking up through the gate, or even walking past the fence. "Where-?" He suddenly stopped as he saw the mockingbird that had been following him all day. It hovered for a moment outside the fence, as if unsure of something, then flew over it.

As soon as the small grayish-brown bird passed over the warded boundary, it shifted. It happened so fast that Watanuki couldn't even tell. All he knew was that one moment it was a small bird and the next a girl no older than thirteen with long gray hair and a pair of brownish-gray wings edged in white was landing gently in front of the house.

She stood, and her wings folded easily to fit along her back. She looked up at the tall imposing woman, the two bright-haired girls standing behind her, a head around either side of said woman, the small black creature, and the flabbergasted boy she had followed since morning.

"Hello." Her voice was light as if she were about to start singing. "My name is Louise."

--

Five minutes later Yuko had escorted the girl into the sitting room where she accepted a cup of tea from Watanuki with a small smile.

"So, the fact the you have come to my shop means that you have need of my help." Yuko began.

The girl nodded. "Yes. We were directed here by the Count who told us you would be able to help us."

Watanuki did a double take. "The Count? You mean that petshop owner?"

Louise smiled delightedly. "You know Count D? How wonderful!"

"We both visited his shop two weeks ago. I believe that I did not see you there." Yuko informed her.

Louise nodded again. "Well yes that is understandable. Laurence and I had already been sold by then."

Watanuki blanched. "_Sold?_ What do you mean sold?"

Louise looked at him as if were daft. "Well obviously I mean that we were given to our new owners for money and a contract."

"But you can't be older than me!"

The girl's face suddenly lit up and she smiled. "Oh, I see. You think that I'm human. I assure you, I am exactly what your friend guessed: a mockingbird."

"What?"

"Yes, a northern mockingbird, to be exact, from the Appalachian Mountains in the U.S.A." She explained.

Yuko sighed. "Watanuki, D owns a petshop. While some of his acquisitions are a bit more…dangerous than usual, he sells nothing but animals."

"But then why do you look like that?"

"Because of your ability to see spirits." Yuko continued. "A normal person when entering the shop would see nothing but animals. But people like you and me would see them for what they truly are. On the other side, the animals in the shop can reveal their true forms to their owners and the other customers if they wish."

Louise now began to explain. "Yes. This morning I did not reveal myself in order to not cause a stir. Humans usually don't have wings after all."

Yuko once again focused her attention on the girl. "Now, why would you require my aid?"

The girl bit her lip. "Something that neither I nor my counterpart are able to deal with." She looked up at the witch. "We believe that our master may be haunted by a malicious spirit of some sort. We wish to ask your assistance in solving the matter as our master is very precious to us, and we fear for his health."

"I see. You are aware that a price will have to be paid for my assistance?"

Louise nodded. "Of course. This is a shop after all, and nothing is ever free."

Yuko gave a small smile. "Well said." She turned to her employee. "Watanuki!"

He sat up a bit straighter. "Yes?"

"You will accompany Louise to her master's house and deal with the spirit as you see fit. You will then return with both Laurence and Louise. We will then discuss payment."

Watanuki was flabbergasted. Go by himself? He had never done that before! Yoko or that jerk Doumeki was always with him! And anyway, he could only see spirits! "Why do I have to do it!"

Yuko turned her eyes back to the customer. "Because I said to. You are my employee after all. Is this acceptable?" She asked this last question to Louise.

The girl nodded. "Yes it is."

"Very well. Then I will see you again after this has been dealt with." She stood.

Louise stood as well and bowed to Yuko. "Thank you for your help."

"There is no need. It is my job after all."

_Footnotes: See, what did I tell you?! This chapter is just chock full of Yuko and Watanuki! I even threw in some Himawari! So anyway, yup. Louise gets a big part in this chapter and all that jazz._

_Moonlight Sonata and Papageno-Moonlight Sonata is by Beethoven. Very beautiful piece. Papageno is a piece written by Mozart for his opera The Magic Flute (Which is a personal favorite of mine!). Louise is a very well-learnt bird coming from the Count's Pet shop and all!_

_The animals at the Count's Shop-As explained above, the animals appear as humanoid figures to those with special powers. They can also appear as humans to their owners if they wish. This is why many people think that the Count runs an underage escort service._

_PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!_


	3. Descant: Final

Glass Figurines: A Collection of Tales

By: Mokona-Midoki

"Humans can be so very fragile. Like glass they fall and break and then the others step on the pieces and get cut."

Descant: Part Three

_Disclaimer: If I owned xxHolic and or Petshop of Horrors, I would be living in my dream house instead of a teeny-tiny dorm room that smells funky. Now, on with the final chapter of Descant!_

_To my reviewers: You are my sunshine. Please continue to grace me with your glorious presence which is so like the heavenly body of the sun in the sky._

Louise walked beside Watanuki, directing him as to where to go. They had been walking for a good quarter of an hour now, and Watanuki was starting to wonder exactly how far away Louise's home was.

"So uh, why aren't you back in your bird form?" He asked her.

She smiled. "Technically I am. As your master mentioned earlier, I can choose who I show my true form to. To everybody else, it appears as if a bird is perched on your shoulder."

"She's not my master." Watanuki corrected.

"She's not? Is she your mother?"

Watanuki stopped cold and stared down in horror at the confused girl. "My, my MOTHER?!?!" The mere thought of that statement sent chills down his spine and horrifying images through his head. "Whatever gave you that idea?!"

"Um, well…I assumed…since you do what she wants…"

He sighed. "No, she's nothing like that. Yuko is my boss. And it's not like I wanted to work for her anyway."

"Then why do you?"

"Because I was shanghaied into it."

Louise cocked her head slightly. "Shanghaied?"

"Basically I had a wish I wanted granted, and she forced me to become her assistant for my payment."

"Oh I see."

Silence fell over the pair as they walked along, each of them in their own thoughts. Finally, Louise stopped outside the entrance to the subway and spoke up.

"You will need to take the train here. Get off at the third stop. I will be waiting for you there."

--

Lawrence sat with his young master at the window which faced the street. Yuriko, the boy's mother, was taking a much deserved rest.

Takashi sat his attention divided between the story Lawrence was reading to him and watching the street for Louise's return. The little boy continually glanced from the book held in his guardian's hands to the window his face expectant and excited.

Sensing the boy's unrest, Lawrence closed the book. "Tak-chan? Is something wrong?"

Takashi looked up, his dark eyes wide. "Louise is coming back soon, right?"

He smiled. "Of course she is coming back soon. And she will bring someone to help make the bad dreams go away."

"Really?" His small face full of hope. "They'll go away?"

Lawrence gathered the small boy into a hug. "Yes. They will. No matter what it takes."

--

Louise stopped outside a small nondescript home in a nice, normal looking neighborhood.

Watanuki looked at it in surprise. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't something that looked so…normal.

"This is it?"

"Yes it is." She walked up to the door, and knocked on it. She turned back to Watanuki. "Come on then."

He got to the doorstep as it opened to reveal a worried looking boy with black-streaked brown hair. As soon as he saw Louise, however, relief swept over his face.

"You're here."

Louise bobbed her head. "Sorry it took so long. I had a bit of trouble finding the house."

The boy's eyes flickered back to Watanuki. "Then he is…?"

"Yes. The Lady sent him over. This is Watanuki." The mockingbird turned back towards him. "Watanuki, this is Laurence."

A small smile crossed the boy's face. "Thank you for arriving so quickly. Please, come in." He stood back allowing them entrance.

"Ah, thank you." Watanuki told him as he entered the house. Laurence closed the door behind them, and Watanuki could see a pair of brown and black wings folded neatly against his back.

"Where are Yuriko-san and Tak-chan?" Louise asked her companion.

He gave her a small smile. "You arrived at a good time. Both of them are sleeping. Yuriko-san is resting in her room, and Tak-chan just fell asleep for his nap."

Louise turned to Watanuki. "This way please. We will show you to Takashi's room."

Watanuki held up his hands. "Wait a minute!"

Both Laurence and Louise looked back at him.

"At the shop you said you thought that your master was being haunted, but you never said anything about this 'spirit'? What exactly do you want me to do?"

The two looked at each other, and then back at Watanuki. Laurence spoke first.

"Yuriko-san came to the petshop and purchased us because Tak-chan has been having nightmares that refuse to go away with even the help of medicine. The Count recommended us, as we are songbirds, and our talents make it easy for us to soothe the human soul, especially with small children, such as Tak-chan."

Louise now took up the tale. "However, even though it worked well at first, something is wrong. It is becoming harder and harder for us to calm his soul. This should _not_ be happening. The occurrence of these symptoms means one of two things."

"One: Takashi's mind is disturbed, which cannot be the case since we would still be able to soothe his soul."

"So it can only be the second: Takashi has been targeted by something that resides in the realm of spirits." Louise finished.

Laurence looked away. "In all honesty, Watanuki, we cannot tell you what to do, as we ourselves do not know what to do." Dark eyes slid back to Watanuki's face, locking with his own. "All that we know is that you and your master are our only hope."

"We love Takashi. We do not wish for any pain to befall him. We were brought here in order to ease his discomfort, and we have failed in that regard." Louise admitted bitterly.

Laurence's voice held a pleading tone to it. "The Count directed us to you, and we have absolute faith in his judgment. We know that if he said you could aid us, it would be true. Watanuki, we have no other options. Please. Help him."

Watanuki stared at the two songbirds that held such sadness in their eyes that he could do nothing but swallow and nod. "I, I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll do my best."

--

Watanuki stared down at the small boy who slumbered in the bed in front of him. He was small, no older than five, and had black hair that fell into his eyes as he slept. He looked peaceful and perfectly normal, but Watanuki knew that this was not the case. He could feel it. A sense that there was something wrong. A sense of pressure, uneasiness, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Something was not right.

He knew it. But he couldn't see it.

Not yet anyway.

And then the little boy in front of him cried out, his hand shooting out as if to grab something.

Laurence who stood by the door with Louise took a few steps forward, but Watanuki held up his hand, stopping his advance. "Wait."

There was something there. A shadow, clinging to the boy.

The child cried out again, his hand shoving against an invisible force that nobody in the room could see.

Nobody but Watanuki.

He could see it now, a black shape, like that of a child, if a child could have no hair or facial features, but only a blank expanse where it should be. It clung to Takashi, refusing to let go.

He could feel it. Emotions rolled from the spirit, sickening waves that made the high schooler, clutch his stomach, and put his hand up to his mouth to keep himself from vomiting. There was so much hatred, so much pain and anger. So much sadness. But overall, there was a desperateness that was worse then the others. Putting his stomach under control, he took a breath.

"What are you doing?" He asked it.

The shadow froze. There was now surprise as well. It then lifted its blank face to Watanuki.

_You can see me._ It was not a question.

"Yes. I can."

_You can hear me?_ This time it was.

"Yes."

_But no one has ever seen or heard me before._

"Well, I'm…different from most people." Watanuki explained, a bit awkwardly.

_Why are you here?_ Suspicion suddenly entered the spirit's voice. _You're here because of those birds, aren't you?_

This was not going well. "Eh? What do you mean?"

_They don't want me here! You don't want me here either!_ The anger returned along with the hatred, stronger than before.

Watanuki held up his hands. "I never said that!"

_WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?! _The spirit screamed, a blast of energy issuing from its small form.

Watanuki blanched, his hand going back up to his mouth.

Takashi screamed in his sleep as the room shook.

"DO SOMETHING!!!" Louise cried, terror in her voice.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to concentrate. "EVERYBODY, SHUT UP!!!!" Watanuki yelled.

The room fell silent. The songbirds and the spirit staring at him, shocked that he could yell that loud.

"I'M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE HERE, AND I CAN'T WHEN EVERYONE'S SCREAMING, SO JUST SHUT UP!!!" He stopped, breathing hard. He turned towards Laurence and Louise. "Just wait for a moment, alright?"

They nodded, their eyes wide.

He turned back to the spirit, who was still silent. "And you! You can't do this anymore! You're hurting people!"

The spirit was still watching him, too stunned to do anything else.

"Well?! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Watanuki demanded.

It was silent for a few more moments, but then it spoke. In a small voice.

_Bu-but, this is my room. This is MY room! I-I don't want to go!....It's not fair!_

"What happened?"

The spirit's small hands went up to its face. _I don't know! I went to school, and I was crossing the street…when I woke up and came back home, my family was gone! But this is my home! It's not his!...It's not fair! I don't want to go!_

Pity for the child who could not even understand that she had died bloomed in his chest, and he tenderly reached out and placed his hand on their head. "I know. It's not fair."

As they lifted their head, he suddenly found that he could see the outline of short-cut hair, and a sleeve. Encouraged, he went on.

"It isn't fair what happened to you. But it did happen. And now, you're not being fair to him." He nodded towards Takashi. "And you're just making yourself miserable. Don't you want to be happy?"

As the darkness seemed to fade from the spirit's form, a little girl with short-cut black hair and large teary dark brown eyes was revealed. She sobbed, tears trailing down her cheeks as she placed her hands on his, and holding it to her forehead.

"Yes!" She cried. "Yes I do! But nobody cares!"

Watanuki smiled. "Well I care. And I think we can help you." He turned slightly, motioning the two songbirds forward. "She's just a little girl. You said you could ease people's souls. Can you help her?"

Laurence seemed to understand first, and a brilliant smile crossed his face. "Of course we'll help." Straightening up, he opened his mouth and began to sing. It was a glorious sound, one of the most beautiful things Watanuki had ever heard. Still singing, Laurence took Louise's hand and pulled her forward.

Hands linked, and eyes closed, Louise too began to sing, her voice rising in a melody above Laurence's. A descant that filled the room, winding through the air to touch upon everything in the room and filling that as well.

Watanuki turned back to the child who was still crying. "They're singing for you." He told her.

Her eyes wide, she listened to them, her face slowly turning up in a smile. She laughed.

They kept singing, voices twining together.

The little girl closed her eyes, still smiling. Slowly as Watanuki watched she began to disappear, until his hand rested on nothing but air.

Slowly he stood, and noticing, Laurence and Louise finished their song.

He turned to them. "I, I think she's passed on now. There shouldn't be any other problems."

"Then you mean…" Louise trailed off, unable to finish.

Watanuki nodded. "Yes. Takashi won't be haunted by her anymore."

They stared at him for a moment, before looking back at each other, and brilliant smiles stretched across their faces. Then suddenly they both tackled Watanuki, wrapping their arms around him.

"Agh! What are you doing?!" He yelled, shoving at them.

"Thank you." Laurence whispered. "Thank you so much."

"You have no idea what this means to us."

He suddenly realized that they were crying.

"Thank you."

He stood awkwardly, not really sure what to do.

He was saved the trouble as the small boy in the bed, forgotten until now, slowly sat up.

"Laurence? Louise? What's going on?"

They instantly abandoned Watanuki in favor of the child, going over to their master, petting his hair, and wrapping their arms around him as well.

As Watanuki watched, he suddenly heard another voice, echoing, in his ears.

_Thank you._

--

Yuko looked over the newspaper clipping that Watanuki had given her. It was an obituary. "Hibari Keiko. She died four years ago at the age of eight when she was on her way to school and was hit by a car that ran the red light. After her death, her family quickly moved from their old house." She looked up from the clipping to her assistant who sat across from her. "It's not a surprise really that her spirit was unable to move on. It's a good thing you got there when you did. A few more weeks, and she would have definitely have become an evil spirit." She gave him a mysterious smile. "You did good work yesterday, Watanuki."

Watanuki raised his eyebrows. Yuko was praising him?

"But onto more important matters. I thought I told you to bring Laurence and Louise here yesterday after you had dealt the problem."

"Well…you did."

"And yet it is Thursday."

"Well…yes."

"Do you care to explain?"

"Well, lots of things happened, and I just…thought that it would be best…to wait…" He trailed off.

"That's not a very good explaination."

"I know."

His employer sighed. "Ah well. I trust them. If they came from the Count, then they would not go back on their word."

Watanuki raised his eyebrows. "Why…why do you say that?"

Yuko waved her hand languidly. "Louise and Laurence are animals, Watanuki. Animals have no need to lie. They might deceive, they might trick or fool, but they never outright lie, and they never go back on their word. Lies are the invention of mankind."

Before he could respond to that rather dark statement, the doors slid open, and Maru and Moro poked their heads in.

"Mistress! Your guests are here!" They sang in unison.

Yuko smirked. "Excellent, send them in."

Laurence and Louise entered together, both looking much happier than Watanuki had ever seen them. As soon as they were seated, they bowed low.

"We wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts." They said together, reminding Watanuki for a moment of Maru and Moro.

Yuko clapped her hands together. "Oh come now! This is not needed. We simply performed a service for you, for which you will give us a fair trade."

As the two birds raised their heads, they glanced at each other.

"We are wondering about that, Yuko-dono." Louise began. "Even though we appear human, we are still just songbirds, and have nothing of worldly value with which to pay you."

The witch smirked again, and Watanuki shuddered. "Oh, but I do not want anything of worldly value from you! In fact I was not expecting it."

Laurence now spoke up, hesitant. "Then…what do you want, Yuko-dono?"

"What I want, is…your voices."

--

"I can't believe you asked them for that, Yuko-san."

The shop owner and her assistant were now situated on the porch, a few days after Louise and Laurence had come to discuss their payment.

Yuko blew a long trail of smoke from her mouth. "And why not, Watanuki-kun? It is, in all fact, the only thing of value they own."

"Yes, but to ask for it in such a way…"

A sly grin graced his employer's face. "Did you see their faces? It was rather one of my better performances, don't you think?"

Watanuki turned away. "I think you're evil." He muttered.

Her eyes shot back to him. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

At that moment, there was the soft fluttering of wings, and Laurence landed on the ground in front of them. Straightening, he smiled softly before bowing.

"Good evening, Yuko-dono, Watanuki-san."

Yuko grinned. "Why hello, Laurence-kun! I suppose it's your turn to sing tonight?"

He nodded. "Yes, Louise is with Tak-chan tonight."

"And how is he doing?"

"Very well. He has not had a single nightmare since Watanuki-san's visit."

She tapped the ashes out of her pipe. "Good. Now, what shall you be gracing us with today?"

His smile widened. "What would you wish to hear, Yuko-dono?"

She mulled over it for a moment, before looking back, grinning. "I don't suppose you know the theme to _Doraemon_, do you?"

"I think I am a bit rusty on the lyrics, but I will learn it for you, if you wish."

"Excellent. Well then, until you can sing that one, sing whatever you want. I'm sure it will be beautiful."

As the nightingale's song rose into the cool night air, Watanuki sat listening to it, mulling over thoughts in his mind.

In the end, Yuko had demanded that the songbirds would come and sing for both her and Watanuki, since he had been the one to actually deal with the spirit, every evening for three months. They had readily agreed to the bargain.

He supposed, with reflection, that it was true what Yuko had said about animals. They did not need to lie. Not to themselves, not to anybody.

Perhaps that was why Laurence's voice raised above all the other noises of the world, encircling it, as the melody went on. A pure sound, untainted by anything, perfect and beautiful.

A descant for the innocent of a broken world.

The End

_Footnotes-The end of Descant has been reached! The journey was long and had many large blocks on it, but here we are! Remember, there will be more than one tale, so please check back for more updates._

_Shanghaied: to trick or to force somebody into doing something. It can also mean forcing someone into naval service. It was called this after the city of Shanghai which was the typical destination of enforced crews._

_Doraemon: A very famous anime and manga. Doraemon (The title character) is a robot cat from the future with all sorts of awesome gadgets. Yuko has mentioned it several times in the series._

_The Second Tale:_

_Drown_

_A classmate of Watanuki's suffers a near fatal drowning in one of the local parks, a supposed accident, the case is written off and forgotten about. However, after hearing about the event, Watanuki begins to believe that there is something more sinister behind it._


	4. Drown: Submerge

Glass Figurines: A Collection of Tales

By: Mokona-Midoki

"Humans can be so very fragile. Like glass they fall and break and then the others step on the pieces and get cut."

Drown: Part One

_Disclaimer: If I owned Petshop of Horrors or xxxHolic, I wouldn't be writing this._

She stared into the water, watching the dark surface ripple as creatures moved beneath its surface, disturbing the quiet stillness of the pond.

She sat waiting. Gently, she dipped her hand down and trailed the tips of her fingers through the cool water, waiting.

And then, a pale hand, skin so translucent she could practically see the veins beneath its surface, shot out of the water. Latching onto her wrist, it gave a sharp tug, pulling her down and into the water of the dark pond.

--

"Hey, did you here what had happened to Fuyumi-san?"

Watanuki Kimihiro paused in the reading of his book to listen to the two girls behind him. It was a bright Monday morning, and he sat in his desk, waiting for the day's classes to begin. Now normally, Watanuki had no interest in gossip or anything of the like, but he hadn't heard anything about Fuyumi Saya.

Fuyumi Saya wasn't particularly close to Watanuki. She sat two rows up and one seat to the right of him. They had spoken a few times, and known each other for two years having been in the same class together, but beyond that, there was nothing.

There was _never_ anything…

"No! What happened?" The girl who spoke was Imanami Anna, short but smart. Watanuki didn't know much about her either, which wasn't surprising.

The first girl—Kirisaki Haruka, he thought—spoke again. "So, Saturday evening she was at this park, right? There's one near her house. I think its Amahana Park or something like that. Anyway, there's a pretty big pond there, and she was sitting near it or something when-" She took a short pause for dramatic effect.

"When what, Haruka-chan?"

"She fell in, and almost drowned."

"What?!"

"Yeah, they had to call an ambulance and everything. Apparently she wasn't breathing when they got her out of the water."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

Watanuki was inclined to agree with Imanami. It didn't make any sense. Saya was a member of the swim team, and from what he had heard and seen she was pretty good. So why would she have not been able to get out?

"That's not all." Haruka continued.

"There's more?"

"Yeah. Amano-san was there. She was the one to make the phone call."

"Really? Amano Hitomi? But what was she doing there?"

Amano Hitomi was another girl in Watanuki's class. All he knew about her was that she was very quiet. In fact he wasn't sure he had ever heard her say anything before.

"I don't know. Apparently she lives near there as well."

"Is that all?"

"No! This is where it gets really good. From what I heard, when Amano-san was telling the police what happened, she said that Fuyumi-san didn't fall in."

"What?"

"Yeah." Haruka lowered her voice, and Watanuki had to strain to hear it. "She said that someone pulled Fuyumi-san into the water. A hand came out of the pond, and pulled her in!"

Watanuki stiffened while Imanami gasped. "A hand? No way that's true! That's just too… creepy!"

"Well, that's what she said she saw."

"She must have been seeing things! Stuff like that doesn't happen in real life!"

Watanuki, however, had a feeling that Amano hadn't been seeing things, and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach like a lump of sour ice. Imanami and Kirisaki could pretend that it hadn't happened that way, but Watanuki couldn't. He knew better. Because things like did happen in real life. Maybe not their lives… but most certainly in his.

--

_He turned, unable to stay still. Never able to stay still. Even when he was just drifting, he was moving in some small way. He could never stay still._

_ Maybe that's why she was so beautiful to him. She just sat, perfectly still, and watched, listened, just taking in all that was around her. Him included._

_ But she had lied to him._

_ He turned again, a bit more violently than the last time._

_ She had promised everything would be fine._

_ But she had lied._

_ And now, for all he knew, she was dead. And he would never again see her sit so perfectly still, and just watch, having eyes only for him and the world he lived in._

--

Watanuki tried to make his way along the hallway, which seemed to be packed with a solid wall of students who were making their way to various club activities, or just going home for the afternoon. It was a near impossible feat, even on a good day, and it seemed as though this was not a good day.

Still, he struggled valiantly to get through the mass of chattering teenagers that plugged the hall.

Finally, he managed to struggle through, and came out to the front just in time to see the person he had been trying to reach turn the corner.

"Ah! Amano-san! Amano-san, wait up!" He called. As he rounded the corner, he saw her pause up ahead in the hallway, cornered by two upperclassmen that Watanuki recognized as being members of the swim team. They stood, their arms crossed, and frowns etched into their faces. They seemed to be saying something, but it was hard to hear from the distance that he was at. As he neared the trio, their conversation reached his ears.

"Look, I don't care if you did save her life! That doesn't give you the right to go around coming up with ridiculous stories about it! Leave Saya-san alone!" The taller girl told Amano.

Watanuki could see Amano's hands clench into her skirt as she stared back up at the older girls. "I didn't make anything up, and I'm not spreading stories!"

The second girl gave a short derisive laugh. "Right. Then what was all creepy junk you told the police? Don't try to lie; we know what you told them."

"I'm not lying! I told them exactly what I saw! Why would I lie to them?!"

Before the upperclassmen could respond with something scathing, Watanuki took action. Closing the short distance between himself and the trio of girls, he clapped his hands lightly onto Amano's shoulders, smiling as though he hadn't heard the argument.

"Ah! Amano-san! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! I'm so glad I found you!"

Amano Hitomi swiveled her head to stare up at him in surprise, while the two swimmers simply moved their glares from the girl to Watanuki. Watanuki gave them his best, and fakest smile.

"I'm sorry if you three were having a conversation, but Amano-san and I are working on a project and we're late for a meeting with the rest of our group! So, if you'll excuse us then, bye!" He spun the startled girl around, and before anybody could make any protests, he pulled her away from them as fast as he could.

Finally reaching a classroom that Watanuki knew would be empty he flung the door open, and pulled his classmate inside, shutting the door behind him.

Breathing a bit heavily, he wiped the slight perspiration from his forehead. "There, that should do it." He turned towards the girl he had dragged there. "Now, Amano-san-"

"What do you want with me?" Her harsh tone cut him off abruptly.

He blinked and looked down at her, truly taking in her appearance for the first time. She was shorter than him by a few inches, had her thick black hair cut short, straight across, right at the level of her chin, and had it held back from her face by several pins. Her dark eyes glared up at him from behind a pair of glasses whose rather wide frames were an odd bright neon aqua blue. Her mouth was turned downwards into a suspicious frown, and she had her arms crossed protectively in front of her chest.

"Uh…what?" He asked, slightly confused by her sharpness.

"What. Do. You. Want. With. Me?" She asked, slowly enunciating every word. "Why did you help me back there?"

"Uh…well…that's because…"

"Because what?"

Watanuki raised a hand to rub across the back of his head. "Well, because…you were in trouble."

She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

It was true, though. Watanuki had just been planning on waiting until she had finished her confrontation with the swim team members, but something had made him move forward. After all, even though it hadn't happened to many times in his life, he did know what it was like for people to not believe him. To tell him that he was lying when he was doing anything but. So he had stepped forward, unable to ignore someone in the same predicament. But he could see now, that she didn't buy that reason alone.

"And because, I wanted to talk to you."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't everyone?" She sighed after a moment, and her hands dropped to her side. "Still…you did help me out. Alright, let's hear it."

"Wh-what?"

She shook her head. "Stop making me repeat everything I say! You want to hear about what happened when Fuyumi-chan drowned, right?"

"Um…yeah." He answered her sheepishly.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why? So you can make fun of me and call me crazy? Or maybe you want to go and spread stories about me being a liar?"

Watanuki waved his hands emphatically. "No! No, nothing like that!"

"Then, WHY?"

He glanced away, trying to think of how to phrase it before he turned back towards her.

"Because…I believe you."

There was a short silence while she stared up at him, her face unreadable.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

She frowned. "I already told you to stop making me repeat myself! Why do you believe me? No one else does. Not the police, not anybody here, not even my parents! They all think I'm lying. So why do you believe me? We've never spoken to each other, and for all you know I'm lying, in fact I probably am. So why do you believe me?"

Watanuki didn't even blink as he answered her… answered with words he never spoke to anyone. "I believe you because I've seen things like that too. I have no reason to think that you're lying, because I've been in the same position and I know how hard it is when no one believes you. And since I do believe that you're telling the truth, I also believe that Fuyumi-san is still in danger. I…I want to help…if I can." He finished a bit lamely, looking down at his feet in embarrassment.

There was another silence, but this one stretched longer. Finally when Watanuki was feeling a bit past uncomfortable, she spoke.

"Watanuki Kimihiro, right?"

"Yeah."

A short pause followed this. Then, "Alright. I believe you."

"You… you do?" Watanuki looked up, blinking.

She ran one hand through her hair. "Don't ask me why, but…you don't look like a liar. And since you believe me…I'll tell you what happened in Amahana Park." She looked down, checking the watch on her left wrist. "Are you free this evening?"

"Uh…why?"

"You think that Fuyumi-chan is still in danger, don't you? I'm going to visit her later. You can come if you want."

Watanuki brightened. This was better than he had hoped. "Thank you, Amano-san!"

"Call me Hitomi. Can you meet me at the station down the road from here around 6:30?"

He thought about it for a moment. He could probably get away from his job (aka his _indentured servitude_) by then, so…

"Yeah, I can meet you then. Uh, should I bring anything… Hitomi…san?" It felt a little strange to use her first name after speaking to her once, but she'd said he could, so…

"Just yourself."

"Then, I'll see you tonight?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yeah. Tonight."

-To be continued-

_Footnotes: Yay! Drown is finally out! This took me so much trouble to write. Don't ask me why. I think the initial meeting between Watanuki and Hitomi is what was giving me so much trouble. But now it's done! I know that there was no real inclusion of Petshop of Horrors in this chapter (Although if you look closely you'll find something…) They'll make their entrance next chapter._

_I'd also like to give a big humongous thank you to sandrilenefatoren2 who is now the BETA for my story! Thank you so much!_

_Amahana Park: This is a totally fictional park. It does not exist. I made it up for the express purpose of dunking Fuyumi into the pond there._

_**-PLEASE REVIEW!!!! This is apparently my most popular story on fanfiction, so I should be getting a lot more reviews since a lot of people of favorited/alerted it.-**_


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